Summary
The Elder Scrolls Online Update 51 introduces a new replayable dungeon built around exploration, puzzles, stealth, and roguelike-style progression. Unlike traditional ESO content that focuses heavily on DPS checks and boss fights, the new Infinite Archive asks players to navigate dangerous rooms, solve puzzles, find hidden secrets, and explore every corner of the dungeon.
The dungeon is permanently available, so you do not need to rush to complete it. However, understanding how to enter, farm Planar Keys, complete the different rooms, and unlock its hidden rewards will make your first runs much smoother. To gear up first, buy The Elder Scrolls Online Gold and skip the grind.
How to Enter the Infinite Archive
The new dungeon is located in the expanded Thieves Guild area of Daggerfall. You do not need to complete the entire Thieves Guild storyline before entering.
Players can begin through the free introductory quest available in the Crown Store or travel directly to the Daggerfall Outlaws Refuge and speak with the gatekeeper.
After entering the ruined observatory, your first run will begin the process of restoring the location. The full dungeon cannot be uncovered in a single attempt, however. Its roguelike structure encourages multiple runs as you gradually discover new rooms, clues, lore, and secrets.
Infinite Archive Dungeon Structure
The Infinite Archive contains three wings, and you need to explore all three to complete a full run.
Each wing generally contains three challenge rooms in a random order, along with a room focused on story elements, clues, or secrets. Bonus rooms can also appear, offering additional loot and other rewards.
This makes every run somewhat different. You may encounter combat in one room, then immediately switch to a jumping puzzle, stealth challenge, maze, or environmental task in another.
The dungeon currently contains around two dozen different challenge rooms, with plenty of room for additional rooms and wings in future updates.
Puzzle and Stealth Rooms
The biggest difference between this dungeon and conventional ESO content is its emphasis on non-combat mechanics.
Some rooms require you to move quietly and track enemies by sound. Others involve protecting flying lanterns that illuminate dark areas. Jumping puzzles can require you to activate levers, cross bridges, choose different routes, and use checkpoints.
Other challenges include preparing a strange slime soup while dealing with enemies, memorizing specific objects and locating them among many similar items, surviving poisonous environments, and dealing with roaming mini-bosses.
The difficulty is designed to be approachable, with the puzzles generally giving you enough information to understand what needs to be done. If you get completely stuck, the gatekeeper can also provide hints.
How to Farm Planar Keys
Unrefined Planar Keys are one of the most important resources for the Infinite Archive.
There are normally nine challenge rooms across the three wings, meaning you should have at least nine keys if you want to fully access the rooms. Bringing around 10–12 keys is even better because it gives you some flexibility for additional chests.
Keys are account-bound and cannot currently be traded or sold, so building your own supply is important.
You can find keys throughout the game, including ordinary treasure chests, although these sources are uncommon. Your best opportunities are activities connected to the Thieves Guild and the game's seasonal content.
Keys can come from story quest rewards, guild dailies, Thieves' Caches, the Rumors system, and final chests from dynamic world events.
Guaranteed Planar Key Sources
The new freelance task board provides a more reliable way to obtain keys.
By helping the three associated story NPCs, you can receive a guaranteed key from the tenth and twentieth quests for each character. This allows you to obtain up to six keys per character, although completing all of them takes around 20 real-life days.
The key drop rate is also expected to increase with the launch of Update 51, so players who have not prepared a large stockpile beforehand do not need to worry.
You can also run the dungeon with a group of up to four players. Only one key is consumed per room, meaning a full group can significantly reduce the number of keys required per player.
Infinite Archive Secrets and Gryphon Mount
The first run is only the beginning.
After restoring the observatory, you are encouraged to explore deeper into each wing. Every room can contain hidden caches, clues, and rumors that help reveal a larger secret.
Each of the three wings has its own major secret. Discovering all three allows you to obtain the seals needed to unlock the dungeon's final reward: a Gryphon mount.
This makes exploration worthwhile even if you are not interested in farming combat rewards. Instead of simply rushing toward the exit, you have a reason to investigate dark corners and alternative paths throughout the dungeon.
Infinite Archive Rewards
Every challenge room ends with a reward chest containing a mixture of useful items.
Possible rewards include Infinite Archive currency, resources, upgrade materials, fragments for two new skill styles, new furnishings, and alchemy ingredients introduced with Update 51.
The dungeon also provides a large number of new Antiquity Leads, including some that can be traded. These can appear frequently enough that regular runs may quickly build up a useful collection.
Hyper-Chests and Bonus Loot
The dungeon can also contain large glowing Hyper-Chests with improved rewards.
These special chests require Planar Keys to open, giving you another reason to maintain a healthy supply while exploring the dungeon.
Between ordinary challenge-room chests, hidden caches, bonus rooms, Hyper-Chests, Antiquity Leads, and the Gryphon mount, the Infinite Archive offers a wide variety of rewards without requiring players to chase an ultra-powerful gear set.
Infinite Archive Tips
A typical run can take around 30–60 minutes, depending on how quickly you move and how much time you spend searching for secrets.
Stealth and mobility can make the experience easier. Vampire invisibility is particularly useful for moving through certain areas without constantly crouching, while Champion Point bonuses that reduce fall damage can help with the dungeon's frequent jumping sections.
You should also consider running with friends if you are short on keys. Because only one key is spent per room in a group, cooperative runs can make your key supply last considerably longer.
Most importantly, remember that the Infinite Archive is permanent content, not a limited-time event. There is no need to burn through all your keys immediately after Update 51 launches.
Is the Infinite Archive Worth Farming?
The Infinite Archive offers a very different type of ESO gameplay. Instead of focusing exclusively on maximizing DPS, players are rewarded for exploration, movement, puzzle-solving, stealth, and paying attention to their surroundings.
Its Planar Key system may make the first few runs more resource-intensive, but the dungeon is designed to remain available permanently. As the key supply becomes easier to obtain and additional rooms or wings are potentially added in future updates, the activity could become an important alternative to ESO's usual combat-focused content.
For Update 51, the combination of puzzle rooms, hidden secrets, Antiquity Leads, new skill styles, furnishings, and the secret Gryphon mount gives players plenty of reasons to explore all three wings rather than simply rushing through the dungeon. If you'd rather not grind for every reward, The Elder Scrolls Online Gold can help you acquire the furnishings and materials you're after.
